Each veteran carrying a picket sign has their own story and battle scars, but all have faced more formidable foes than Elon Musk and his “government efficiency” initiative.
Coming together every Saturday afternoon outside a Tesla dealership in Corte Madera, the veterans, most of whom served in Vietnam, decry Musk’s gutting of the Department of Veterans Affairs. President Donald Trump enlisted Musk, CEO of Tesla, to lead a team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and conduct massive U.S. government cutbacks.
The Marin military veterans have joined a nationwide movement to keep the public focused on the damage caused by Musk’s indiscriminate slashing of federal jobs and programs. They aim to hit his reputation and pocketbook. Demonstrations at the automotive showrooms have played a role in discouraging people from buying Tesla vehicles, tanking the company’s stock price and chipping away at Musk’s fortune.
Tesla’s first quarter sales were down 13% year over year, even as the overall electric vehicle market experienced healthy sales growth during the same period. The stock price has plummeted more than 38% this year. And Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, saw his net worth decrease from $400 billion to just under $300 billion.
Vietnam veteran Roger Powelson, 76, organizes the Saturday afternoon veterans’ protests in Corte Madera, which began on March 8. The weekly turnout has ranged from a couple of dozen veterans and their supporters to more than 200 people. They intend to soldier on until the threat to the VA’s services and workforce has ended.
“When I heard DOGE was going to lay off 83,000 workers from the VA and kill contracts for services like tuning radiology equipment, I started this campaign to tell people buying a Tesla is bad for veterans,” Powelson said. “The protests around the country have been effective, putting pressure on Elon, putting pressure on Trump. They haven’t laid anybody off since the first 3,000.”
Several of the protestors at last week’s event noted that one-fourth of the VA’s 482,000 employees are veterans. Kermit Kubitz, a Vietnam veteran, said he showed up at the April 12 event to bring attention to cuts in VA services, but also because “Elon has been firing veterans.“
Lou Shehi, 87, who served in the Air Force from 1959 to 1979, has attended most of the Corte Madera rallies. Awarded the Purple Heart after his Cessna was shot down in South Vietnam, Shehi relies on the VA for his medical needs, including treatment for Parkinson’s disease, which has been linked to his Agent Orange exposure during the war.
“The VA in San Francisco truly has the finest doctors,” he said. “I have gotten the finest care. But we are really concerned that Trump and Musk are toying around with VA benefits, and we’d like to keep them.”
While the veterans waved their anti-Elon signs at cars passing by, two Tesla employees were inside the showroom assisting three potential customers. One man was signing what seemed to be a sales or lease contract. Apparently, workers are busy enough that they don’t have time to clean off the handprints adorning the stainless steel finish of a Cybertruck on display.
One staffer said he didn’t want to answer the Pacific Sun’s questions, but he responded anyway. The unidentified man seemed indifferent to the protestors, saying they were just voicing their opinions. Additionally, he claimed that the protests were not affecting business at this dealership.
Patty Hoyt, who helps Powelson organize the veteran demonstrations, understands that the weekly events could negatively impact Tesla employees. However, it won’t stop her from pushing back against the company’s CEO.
“I think we all have a choice on where we work, and you can look at the last couple of years to see what Musk has been like,” said Hoyt, the daughter of a retired Air Force colonel. “That makes me seem quite heartless to them, who are only trying to make a living. But they have made a choice.”
The next veterans’ protest is on Saturday, April 19 in Corte Madera.
